Berri in trouble

[silicone skyline]

Is this possibly the most ridiculous thread ever opened???

[Dogwatcher]

Possibly.

[Baron Greenback]

Perhaps Ben Swarmer was onto something.....

[Mulligain]

Perhaps.

[silicone skyline]

No comment

[Baron Greenback]

Haha. Berri has had a habit of knocking off Waikerie in recent years.
A win on Saturday could turn the Demons' season around.

[ben swarmer]

lets be realistic berris top 6 players are more than a match for all teams but when those players need a spell theres not enough depth to maintain pressure and run.

[silicone skyline]

spoke to a former berri player the other day and he seems to think that too many people at berri are involved at the football club for themselves and not doing the best thing for the club. Including the coach who has been given a pay rise and a car by the Berri (Hotel) football club. Considering how many locals have left the club in the past 3 years I have to agree with him and wonder if the club just doesnt care about its local players. Certainly no depth there if injuries take their toll this year. B grade and under 18s are really struggling.

If you heard what the coach said Saturday night, I think you might find this comment a stab in the dark.
After the loss on the weekend, and the B grade fronting up with 17 players, including a handful of under 18s, there's certainly some truth in that statement above.
Don't tar them all with the same brush, let me tell you now, the coach may have his own unique way about him, but he's there for the club, regardless of payment etc.
He identified the need to develop the young local players into senior footballers as early as possible, having a turnover of up to 10 players a year coming in and out of the senior side.
"Every year, people always talk to me about recruits, even in the media, it's all about the who are the new recruits, and how well the recruits are playing," he said.
"It's not an ideal situation."
We've since had combined under 18 and A grade trainings, had under 15 players train with the A grade squad, and that's only tipping the iceberg.
We've all been a skeptic of his theories at one stage or another but I don't think the coach is in it for himself at all.
I was at the Independent Anzac Day game, and while I was only subject to one pissed d**khead talking about why he was at Lyrup and not Berri FC anymore, Russell spoke of about six or seven different people approaching him at the same game, each with an axe to grind about one thing or another at Berri FC.
THOSE are the people you DON'T want at a club.
THOSE who will desert it at its lowest ebb, rather than try and RECTIFY.
ANYONE who claims they tried to rectify and has left the club since is as good as a parent abandoning a misbehaving child.
Look at the people giving it a real crack behind the scenes, the club president cooked the meals after training for a month, our captain organises four or five social occasions every year.
It's because of these people Berri still have a football club.
Berri IS in trouble at the moment, but now the issue is a very public one amongst the club and it's few remaining die-hard members, I think it can turn itself around.

[Baron Greenback]

Well said SS.

[The Big Shrek]

How's the great man Ty Allen doing out there? I hear his mate Pinna may be joining you guys up there. I thought Berri would be doing better than they are this year with the Goody boys jumping on board. How bad were you guys last year?

[silicone skyline]

I think the best way to describe it would be last year, better players, this year, better team people.
Lol.
Ty has found his straps over the past two weeks, really stepped up a few notches, doing well, good leader on the field too.
Dunno bout Pinna, guess we'll see soon.

[ben swarmer]

i hope everyone at the club shares your passion ss. you certainly need a strong playing group to build around for the future.so good luck for the remainder of the season

[Not Scared]

Fair thesis there SS, but fairly well on the money. Berri are in trouble, but there are some fantastic people there, and the atmosphere at the club with the people that do support it is good. The A grade team gets along well, as do the B graders who are willing to commit to playing regularly. The juniors are pretty solid right through with numbers and are getting some good results.

They lost a lot of players in the off season but, without going through the list, not one left because they had an axe to grind with the club. All had legitimate, uncontrollable reasons for leaving.

Also, let’s look at it logically, and maybe it's not as bad as people make out.
Results: The club finished 3rd last year (it was only Loxton they couldn’t beat), and have led at three quarter time in three of their matches this year. Could have easily been 3-3. I do accept the point about recruits. Retaining young players and getting them back after they go to uni/Westies etc. needs to be a focus, rather than trying to recruit out of trouble.

Socially: The Purple Night was a massive success, the auction dinner is a big function every year, there was a ball for the first time last year which was also fairly successful and will be better this year, the presentation night is always a big function, the team has had good numbers on footy trips etc. etc. etc. I'm confident that the upcoming quiz night will also be a good night for all involved. After away games and losses the numbers at the club have not been great but I'm not sure that many clubs would have great numbers in those situations. The whole A grade team, some die hard supporters and a few players from B grade and under 18’s have still stuck around and the club still generally doesn’t close until at least 12.

Look, there is a lot more I can write but I’ll wrap it up.

At the risk of giving away my identity, I have been involved in a very successful club in Adelaide, and am now at Berri. No doubt there are some issues at Berri, and there are things that can be improved upon, but it is a good club to play for and a good club to be involved in. The negativity of some people may lead outsiders to believe otherwise. It’s not true.

To all the people who live in Berri that are of playing age and are not playing footy, I’ll lay out the challenge. Get out there and have a kick for your club. They don’t owe you, but you can help them out, and you will probably enjoy doing so. It is the only club in your town. Similarly, to all past players and (so called) supporters, get out there and support your team. To all those people with an axe to grind for whatever reason, think about whether it is really worth abandoning your club over, especially if it happened 10 years ago. I have heard some very flimsy reasoning from some very precious people.

A bit of a thesis as well, I know, but I want this message to get out there before negative rumours spread. The Berri Football Club has some issues which they will work through. Having people’s support, as opposed to negativity, will accelerate the process.

[Ian]

Is Bruce Gehling stil involved at the club ??

[silicone skyline]

Fair thesis there SS, but fairly well on the money. Berri are in trouble, but there are some fantastic people there, and the atmosphere at the club with the people that do support it is good. The A grade team gets along well, as do the B graders who are willing to commit to playing regularly. The juniors are pretty solid right through with numbers and are getting some good results.

They lost a lot of players in the off season but, without going through the list, not one left because they had an axe to grind with the club. All had legitimate, uncontrollable reasons for leaving.

Also, let’s look at it logically, and maybe it's not as bad as people make out.
Results: The club finished 3rd last year (it was only Loxton they couldn’t beat), and have led at three quarter time in three of their matches this year. Could have easily been 3-3. I do accept the point about recruits. Retaining young players and getting them back after they go to uni/Westies etc. needs to be a focus, rather than trying to recruit out of trouble.

Socially: The Purple Night was a massive success, the auction dinner is a big function every year, there was a ball for the first time last year which was also fairly successful and will be better this year, the presentation night is always a big function, the team has had good numbers on footy trips etc. etc. etc. I'm confident that the upcoming quiz night will also be a good night for all involved. After away games and losses the numbers at the club have not been great but I'm not sure that many clubs would have great numbers in those situations. The whole A grade team, some die hard supporters and a few players from B grade and under 18’s have still stuck around and the club still generally doesn’t close until at least 12.

Look, there is a lot more I can write but I’ll wrap it up.

At the risk of giving away my identity, I have been involved in a very successful club in Adelaide, and am now at Berri. No doubt there are some issues at Berri, and there are things that can be improved upon, but it is a good club to play for and a good club to be involved in. The negativity of some people may lead outsiders to believe otherwise. It’s not true.

To all the people who live in Berri that are of playing age and are not playing footy, I’ll lay out the challenge. Get out there and have a kick for your club. They don’t owe you, but you can help them out, and you will probably enjoy doing so. It is the only club in your town. Similarly, to all past players and (so called) supporters, get out there and support your team. To all those people with an axe to grind for whatever reason, think about whether it is really worth abandoning your club over, especially if it happened 10 years ago. I have heard some very flimsy reasoning from some very precious people.

A bit of a thesis as well, I know, but I want this message to get out there before negative rumours spread. The Berri Football Club has some issues which they will work through. Having people’s support, as opposed to negativity, will accelerate the process.

Now, this is a post from someone who I'm pretty sure knows what they're talking about.

[Hardpuncher]

i cant beleive berri is going so bad. they are one of the biggest towns in the riverland and yet they can barely fill a b grade side. its pretty poor for a club that won the a grade premiership only 6 years ago. i hope they can dig them selves out of this hole.

[Not Scared]

No, Ian, Bruce Gehling hasn't been involved for a few years now. I believe he owns a TAB in Adelaide.

Yeah, the B grade situation is a bit of a worry. Not enough people who are willing to commit. As I said, some think the club owe them something and feel they are doing the club a huge favour by coming out and making the odd guest appearance. Don't get me wrong, the guest appearances are required and welcome, but more are needed to commit fully.

New A grade players are now taken straight from the under 18's. I think you'll find it will sort itself out in a couple of years time when the next generation of players come through from the juniors. For whatever reasons (some genuine, some figments of their own imaginations) the current generation of B grade/fringe A graders don't seem to want to commit. I think there have been a few negative influences on them around the place, but those seem to have now disappeared. However, the next lot coming through are the types that will. The club must work at keeping them in the area.

As for the comment on Berri being a large town; it is, but it is also a very transient town. There are many government workers that come up for a few months, and it is very hard to get them passionate about their footy club, so you can probably delete a fair proportion of the overall population when you take that into consideration. The other towns don't have that problem to the same extent.

[Ricky Ricardo]

Berri had a few mallee boys play for them not long ago muster and stanley how did they go in the competition

[Not Scared]

Muster and Stanley were both good, and were good blokes, although I don't think we quite saw the best of Stanley. Can play.

By the way, anyone doubting the BFC should get hold of the Facebook video 'Footy Club Shenanigans.' Funny stuff, filmed in the club at about midnight after the Waikerie match.

[silicone skyline]

Lol, wish i was there for that one, and yeah, agree that I think the worst is slowly turning, definitely some young players who always put their hands up to have a run with the B's, can only get better.